


The Hallows' Eve

by HaveCourageAndBeKind



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, HEA, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Light Angst, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Time Turner (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 13:10:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16305815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaveCourageAndBeKind/pseuds/HaveCourageAndBeKind
Summary: Hermione owns a bookstore and collects unpublished manuscripts. She comes across one written by an obscure writer who describes the events of Halloween 1981 perfectly. The only problem is, it was written in 1980.





	The Hallows' Eve

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:**
> 
>  
> 
> —Hermione owns a bookstore and collects unpublished manuscripts. She comes across one written by an obscure writer who describes the events of Halloween 1981 perfectly. The only problem is, it was written in 1980. Auror!Harry
> 
> Alpha love. Unbeta-ed, all mistakes are my own.

Hermione watched her husband idly pick at the breakfast she made him on his plate. Most days he hid his discontent with his life well, but Halloween always tended to be a more somber occasion for him. Today marked the twentieth anniversary of the death of his parents, Lily and James Potter. Hermione knew her husband mourned a life filled with a loving family, something he never had before.

 

She sighed as Harry stood up from the table to walk over and give her a kiss on the cheek and a tight-lipped smile. She waited until the tell-tale sign of the floo before letting herself break down. She cried for herself and for how her life turned out. She cried for everyone she couldn’t save during the war, knowing how the weight of their deaths affected Harry. She cried for the family she could never give Harry. She didn’t know what did the final blow, Dolohov’s curse or spending one too many minutes under the Crutacious of Bellatrix, but she knew if she was given the chance to see either of them again, she would brutally tear them down for permanently scarring her life in such a way.

 

Harry always told her that it didn’t matter to him if she couldn’t conceive. That there were other ways of becoming a family, such as adopting. But then she would remember the look of excitement on Harry’s face the first time she told him she might be pregnant. Harry had picked her up and swung her around, kissing her face and thanking her continuously. She hadn’t seen Harry that happy since well before Sirius’s death. Hermione just wanted to see that look of pure happiness on Harry’s face again. She would do anything to see it.

 

Hermione knew that Harry loved her more than anything. Some moments she would catch him staring at her with a longing look before remembering she was _his._ He would come up to her and snog her silly, often leaving her an incoherent mess. Harry would chuckle at her starstruck face and say he _must_ be special if he could leave _the_ Hermione Granger speechless. She always loved when Harry showed her his playful side. It reminded her of the carefree boy he use to be in his early Hogwart’s years. She often wondered how different he would be if he wasn’t left in the abusive hands of the Dursley’s and didn’t have the weight of the war on his shoulders.

 

Even though Hermione knew Harry loved her, she still sometimes wondered if he only married her because she was all he had left. The Weasley’s had cut all ties with them when they started dating after the war. Only George still talked to them every once in a while, but he himself didn’t face his family much. George once told them that it caused too much pain every time Molly accidentally called him Fred. It just felt easier for him to stay away, often locking himself in his flat above the shop to work on projects he and Fred had started. Other than George, the Weasley’s just ignored Hermione and Harry if they saw them out and about. The exception being one Ronald Billius Weasley.

 

Ron constantly accused Harry of being the reason for the death of everyone they loved. Hermione personally believed he did it out of spite of being passed over by the girl he wanted and a position in the Aurors. Harry reassured her that he never took what Ron said to heart, but Hermione knew that it killed him to hear his childhood best friend spew venomous words his way.

 

Harry had always felt like he was the reason for everyone’s pain, being the boy who lived and the main target of Voldemort. Hermione spent months after the war helping Harry beat his demons into submission and admit that he did not cause the war or the death of those who fought in battle. Harry did well for several months, getting promoted quickly in the Auror department and seeing Hermione in secret. They tried to keep their relationship quiet after the way Hermione and Ron’s relationship ended. Ron had taken to drinking the pain of his brother’s loss away, and Hermione’s anxiety of whether or not Ron would leave at the sign of trouble worsened the more Ron drank. The moment Ron’s hand made contact with Hermione’s face was the moment Hermione decided to pack up her all of her belongings from her and Ron’s flat and move into Grimmauld’s Place with Harry. They decided not to tell the other Weasley’s what had transpired and just let it be. They didn’t want to fight anymore.

 

The first night in Grimmauld’s place was a lonely affair for Hermione. It always comforted her to have someone else in bed with her to deal with the nightmares that plagued her mind, even if it was her drunken and passed out boyfriend snoring steadily at her side. She tossed and turned in the bed she hastily cleaned for herself upon her spontaneous arrival. She fell into a fitful sleep only to be awoken and drenched in sweat at two in the morning. She had grabbed her thin robe and made her way to the kitchen to make a pot of tea, only to see Harry already sitting at the table with bags under his eyes and an extra cup set out for Hermione. He held her hand and she cried into his shoulder over the loss of her first love.

 

It became a nightly occurrence; Hermione waking alone and terrified of her dreams only to find Harry still up waiting for her to come down and calm her with tea. He always brushed off her questions on his sleeping patterns only to say that he needed to take care of her since she took care of him his entire life. One early morning, Hermione crept down the stairs to find the table bare of tea and Harry. She went up to Harry’s room to find him sleeping with a pained expression on his face. She climbed in his bed to brush the tears off his face and sang a soft lullaby that helped him sleep during the hunt. She awoke to Harry snuggling her to his chest and feeling more rested than she had in ages. When her eyes locked onto his emerald green eyes she felt her heart flutter in her chest. She swore her heart stopped beating the moment she noticed his face coming closer to hers.

 

He kissed her for the first time then. Soft and sweet. Full of love. Harry showed her then that she was his everything. He showed her he loved her by the way he gripped her hips and pulled her tight against him, afraid that if he let go, the moment would be gone forever. He showed her he loved her by the way he caressed her face with the back of his hands before winding his fingers in her riotous curls. He showed her he loved her by the gentle way he coaxed her lips open with his tongue and lovingly moved in sync with her. When he pulled away, he refused to let her go from him as he whispered over and over that he loved her.

 

There was no turning back for either of them. They meant too much to go back to just being friends after they crossed that final barrier of their relationship. The night their relationship got out and Ron threw a temper tantrum in the halls of the Ministry, they clung to each other over the finality of the loss of their childhood friend. The next day Harry asked her to marry him. He didn’t want to lose her; he _couldn’t_ lose her he told her. They bonded together with just Minister Shacklebolt and Minerva McGonagall as their witness. They watched as their magic intertwine together in streams of pure gold, showing their unadulterated love for one another.. Harry gave her a brilliant smile and Hermione thought that everything would be alright in the end.

 

But life rarely works the way you want it to. Ron began to harass them every day at the Ministry, so much so that Hermione quit her low tier job. It wasn’t just Ron that brought her to the point of quitting, however. Everyone wanted something from her, and they all expected her to do it out of the goodness of her heart. She felt worn down, and that's wasn’t the life she wanted to live. With the help of Harry, she cleared out her entire office and bought a run-down bookstore. The Elderly owner couldn’t keep up with the work involved with keeping everything in good condition anymore. She cried tears of joy when Hermione informed her they planned to keep it running as a bookstore and didn’t plan to destroy her life’s work.

 

Harry constantly told Hermione how proud he was of her for following her dreams. He celebrated with her every time she found a rare and unpublished manuscript that she could publish for research. Since Hermione left the Ministry, it only meant the treatment Harry received from Ron became even worse. Ron took every chance he could to belittle Harry and blame him for everything. All of those months of working with Harry to help fix what broke during the war came crumbling down. Every day Harry came home looking more haggard and more tired. He barely talked to Hermione anymore other than a kiss in the morning before work and a peck at night before bed.

 

Hermione knew she couldn’t live this way anymore. She knew she needed to bring it up to Harry before it became even worse. They could get a restraining order on Ron; they could even move away from London. Anything to help put their grievances behind. She settled to talking to him after Halloween, knowing Harry wouldn’t take anything well on this day. Feeling a bit relieved she had a plan, Hermione cleaned up the leftovers of breakfast and got ready to go into work. She loved having the place all to herself, many days she wouldn’t have to deal with any customers. The only customers she did have often engaged her in educated conversations about whatever text they were looking for. It was her own personal escape.

 

Hermione always preferred to apparate and walk to get some fresh air into her lungs. She apparated a few blocks down the street and made her way to the bookstore. She loved the way the crisp and cold air perked her up faster than a cup of tea. When she finally made her way to her desk, she dropped her purse and hung her coat over the back of her chair and stared at the pile of books in the corner she had yet to sort. She let out a long breath of air, knowing that if she was going to make Harry face his demons again, she should as well.

 

She walked over to the discarded and forgotten children’s books, already feeling the tears well up in her eyes. If she organized them quickly, she wouldn’t have to deal with looking at them in her office anymore. She wouldn’t feel like they were watching her, taunting her of a precious life she could never give.

 

Hermione began to sort them by readability; whether they were mainly picture-books or more for school children. Most were books she’d read as a young girl herself and the bittersweet memories brought a sad smile to her face. It was a time long before she knew of the magical world. A time where she still had her parents. A time when she was young and innocent, with no knowledge of death and destruction. It felt like a mindless task until she came across a book she’d never seen before. _The Hallow’s Eve._ Hermione could feel the magic thrumming within the binds of the book. The drawing of the cottage on the front of the page seemed oddly familiar. She opened to the first page and almost dropped the book at the first sentence.

 

_“Once Upon A Time, a young orphan boy with the name Tom Marvolo Riddle...”_

 

Hermione brought her hand up to her mouth to cover her gasp as the book went on to describe the life of Tom Riddle Jr. and how he came to be Voldemort. It described in detail where he hid all of his Horcruxes, the prophecy, and the events of Halloween night in 1981 at the Godric’s Hollow. It ended on the wrongful imprisonment of Sirius Black. Hermione noticed a familiar scrawl on the back page. _For my Harry, who deserves a happy ending.~HJP_

 

She felt an impulse to touch the page, and she allowed herself to drag her fingers across the text. Hermione blacked out before she could do anything before she felt the pull at her navel.

 

* * *

 

“Miss?”

 

Hermione blinked her eyes as she focused on where she was. She noticed a middle-aged woman leaning over her. She moved her hands and came in contact with the ground, surprised that she had fallen to the floor at some point.

 

“Ma’am, are you alright? You had quite the fall.” She looked to see books scattered on the floor and she realized she must have knocked over a bookshelf. She felt a little confused at why everything looked a bit different, she seemed to be still in her shop. The woman leaning over her brought the newspaper in hand to the other and extended her arm out to Hermione. Hermione’s eyes widened when she came face to face the date on the header of the newspaper. _October 31_ _st_ _, 1981._

 

Hermione allowed the lady to help her up from the ground, hoping that she couldn’t feel her shaking erratically. She knew the moment the lady caught a glimpse of the book she was reading before she blacked out. Hermione watched the lady reach down to pick up the book. “I don’t quite recognize this one, I do tend to find books now and again that I don’t remember stocking.” She flipped through it quickly, “it must not be that popular.”

 

Hermione knew that she must have brought the book from the future and knew that it contained too much information that could be dangerous in the wrong hands. She knew she would have to stun her or else she would become suspicious if what the book portrayed became true.

 

She trailed her hand to her waist to reach for her wand when she heard the lady snort, “Huh, we don’t get many editions of Muggle Fairytales in here. This one always was my least favourite, _‘Hansel and Gretel’_. It terrified me of going into the woods for years.” Hermione watched the lady close the book and hand it back to her, “Is this for someone special?” She heard herself let out a raspy yes, but she didn’t remember speaking it. Hermione went through her next actions without thinking, only knowing she had to get to somewhere safe. She bought the book and left the store, casting a notice-me-not-charm while running to the closest Alley.

 

Hermione opened up again the book again and wondered why the lady could only see Hansel and Gretel. She looked back to the title page to find the author, wondering why she didn't think to beforehand. Hermione wanted to bang the book over her head when she found the publication date: 1980. The author only went by HJP, the same initials as those in the back of the book. Then it hit her, she flipped back to the final page and felt dumbfounded that she didn’t recognize her own penmanship before. The words from before were gone and all that remained was a different sentence, again in her own writing. _It doesn’t have to be this way._

 

Hermione looked up to notice that the sun was setting and knew she had to be fast if she would change anything. She didn’t want to question the gift she was given. She recognized her own writing and felt the familiarity of her own magic woven into the book. She knew she would have to complete the loop she had started, but first she needed to do anything she could to help her Harry have the family he deserved.

 

She apparated as close as she could to the Potter cottage, hoping that she wasn’t too late. Hermione ran right through the wards considering that she was a Potter and practically kicked the door down in her haste. When the door opened, she came across Sirius sobbing and clutching a dead James Potter. Hermione’s heart broke, knowing she didn’t arrive in time to save Harry’s parents, but she knew it wasn’t too late to save Sirius from his fate.

 

Sirius shot to his feet the moment he heard Hermione’s guttural cry over the death of James and immediately sent a stupefy her way. She wandlessly blocked his stun, taking his moment of surprise to silence and bind him.

 

“I don’t want to hurt you Sirius, all I want is for Harry to be safe. Please, don’t go after Peter.” His eyes widen and he tried to violently shake out of the binds, “You cannot change to Padfoot right now. I’m sorry, but I needed you to listen.” Hermione wiped her face with the back of her hands to dry some of her tears, “Think about Harry, he needs you more than ever.”

She saw a moment of clarity in his eyes and he gave her a nod. She took a moment to stare at him and realize how much Azkaban robbed him of his youth. She desperately hoped he headed her advice to take Harry and hide.

 

A cry from above set her in motion again. Hermione knew it was Harry. She longed to go upstairs to hold him in her arms and protect him, but she knew it was too much of a risk to stay. She stepped forward to release Sirius of his binds before remembering an important detail.

 

“Your father has died, Sirius. Make sure you claim your Lordship. Dumbledore will try to take him from you.” Knowing that she’d be able to apparate out of the wards as a Potter, she quickly undid her spell work and apparated to the closest entry point of the ministry.

 

Hermione disillusioned herself and entered the chaos of the Ministry. Death Eaters were everywhere trying to take over, not knowing yet that their Lord yet was defeated for now. Hermione tried to make her way towards the elevators but Bellatrix must have caught her movement. Suddenly Hermione was being chased and trying to dodge stray curses.

 

With Bellatrix hot on her heels, she made her way down to the Department of Ministries. Bellatrix began to corner her using stronger and more deadly hexes. Hermione saw a figure come around a corner ahead and she jumped behind them. Feeling the weight of a body on top of her, she pushed it off using her shoulders and tried to swallow her satisfaction at seeing the blank eyes of Antonin Dolohov.

 

Bellatrix’s growl snapped her back to attention and she quickly got to her feet, heading into a familiar door. The Time Room.

 

She picked up what she recognized as an early rendition of the Time Turner and spun it frantically, locking eyes with Bellatrix rabid snarl as she disappeared, only to reappear in some time earlier. Placing the Time Turner back on the desk, Hermione noticed a newspaper close by that read October 31st, 1980. She thanked the gods that the Time Turner she used went back a year instead of hours, knowing that she had to write the book that led her to this time in the first place.

 

Secluding herself in a tiny corner of the Department of Ministries library, she sat with a typewriter and wrote the book exactly how she remembered it. The longest task was the spellwork involved in the ability to send herself back in time. Hermione had to weave the magic within the ink. Luckily she never had to leave the library, using every accessible information she could find. It was a gruelling and sleepless seventy hours, but she only thought of Harry. Something changed within her. Her bond with Harry… different. Lighter, almost. The thought that she changed the future positively kept her working harder and effective even on little sleep.

 

When Hermione finally felt happy with what she produced, she went back to the store and placed the book exactly where she found it, embedding it with repelling charms to anyone wanting to buy it. And then she collapsed. Whether it was from magical exhaustion or from going three days without a wink of sleep, she didn’t know.

 

When Hermione finally came too, she noticed monitors hovering around her, signalling that she was safely in St. Mungo's. She blinked her eyes wearily to find Harry asleep at her side and grasping her hand tightly. Her head killed, two streamlines of her life rushed into her head at once, and she didn’t have time to sort out what happened in which reality. She groaned, awakening Harry.

 

She thanked the gods that she still married her best friend. Hermione wanted to reach out and run her hands through his messy locks but it hurt too much to move. When Harry noticed her open eyes, he practically rolled on top of her, baring all of his weight onto his hands, and kissed her passionately.

 

“Hermione, Hermione. Oh, I was so worried when I walked into the shop and you were on the ground unconscious. I thought I lost you when I saw the amount of blood pooled around your head.” Hermione brought her thumb up and wiped away the tears falling down his cheek and he smiled at her.

 

“What happened?”

 

“You fainted, love. The healers told me that you were extremely deficient on vital nutrients considering your condition.” He smirked at her then and Hermione felt positively giddy with joy.

 

“What condition?” She asked slowly, watching his smirk grow into a radiant smile, one she hadn’t seen since…

 

“You’re pregnant love. _We’re pregnant_. I know we didn’t think it was going to happen so quickly but I cannot wait to see you swelling with our child.” He places his hands over her stomach. “My dads are going to be so ecstatic.”

 

_Dads?_

 

“Grandpa Padfoot and Grandpa Moony are going to be over the moon. I cannot wait to tell them. Our family is just about to get even bigger.” He peppered kisses all over her face and his laughter was music to her ears. “I’m going to be a dad. You’re going to be a mum! You’re going to be _bloody_ brilliant.”

 

_“Harry!”_

 

“And just a touch scary, love. No worries though, I’ll only make sure to be the fun parent when they aren’t in trouble. I make no promises for my Dads, however.” He winked at her then and she giggled.

I love you, Harry.”

 

“I love you too, Hermione.” Harry rested his forehead against her only, allowing his hands to rub her flat stomach. They both were startled when someone knocked at the door. When Sirius popped his face into the door, Harry lept up and squeezed him, practically jumping with joy when he told Sirius the good news. Hermione heard Sirius congratulate him and ask for a moment alone with her, telling Harry to go find Moony.

 

Hermione almost jumped back when she saw the book the Sirius placed on her nightstand.

 

“You know how surprised I was when Moony told me that he saw “ _The Little Red Riding Hood_ ” when he opened this?”

 

She shook her head and felt the bed dip down beside her. She braved herself enough to look him in the eye, only to see him crying as well. He leaned forward to press a tender kiss to her forehead and quietly thanked her for saving him from that fate.

 

“ _Hey!_ Keep your paws to yourself old man.” They both looked up to see Harry and Remus and the door. Remus rolled his eyes as Harry pretended to growl at Sirius in jest. Sirius placed his hands up in surrender, making his way into Remus’ arms and allowing Harry back in bed with his wife.

 

“Thank you for our family Kitten. We may never know what would happen without you in our lives, but I am thankful for the way everything turned out.”

 

Harry gave Sirius a questioning look, before shrugging it off after seeing Remus and Sirius in a loving embrace. He turned back to his dozing wife in his arms and placed a soft kiss against her hair.

 

“Thank you for our family, love.”

 

Hermione gave him a smile and fell into a peaceful sleep in her husband's arms, knowing that she would tamper with time all over again if it meant seeing Harry smile.


End file.
